


Light in the Dark

by SydAce



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Galar - Freeform, Johto, Pokemon, Politics, Romance, ambassador, foreign relations
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:07:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21777277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SydAce/pseuds/SydAce
Summary: Galar had just opened its borders up to foreign regions. Mica Ilex, an ambassador from the Johto region, attempts to figure out the secrets that lie in Galar after having been in isolation for so long. Though, she is soon thrown into a world of darkness when encountering dynamax Pokemon, Team Yell, and Chairman Rose's greedy clutches over the entire region.OC X Piers
Relationships: Piers/OC
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

There were a series screeches of tire against asphalt. The jet started to slow on the runway before it started to taxi to its destination to drop off dozens of passengers. Once the plane came to a complete stop, there was a mad rush to get off the plane. Everyone was bumbling about with their carryon luggage and pushing their way to get off the plane first. All, but one woman.

She looked out the window by her seat. Her chin rested on her hand as she gazed lazily about the airport, watching the tiny men below throw luggage onto the trolley. She winced as one particular bag slammed onto the trolley and then to the ground below. She hoped for whoever was the owner that there wasn't anything fragile in the suitcase.

Still, she watched with mild interested and only slightly perked up when she saw that her bags have indeed made it through the 10-hour flight. Her eyes traced away from the men in bright orange vests to the now depleted crowd on the plan. With a huff, she pushed herself off of her seat and shimmied her way to the aisle. With a swift motion, she grabbed her carryon and began to make her way towards the exit.

"Thank you for flying with us," the stewardess said with a bow.

"Thank you," the woman responded, just barely holding back a yawn. She made her way through the narrow hallway and slowly grew acclimated to the new climate. One of her hands was fishing through her carryon before she withdrew a simple Pokeball. "Come on out, buddy."

A bright flash shot from the spherical capsule and grew into the shape of a bipedal sheep. An Ampharos cried happily while stretching its long neck. Slight static shocked through the ground below before retreating back to the electric Pokemon.

"Sorry about that, Amph," the woman cooed towards her yellow Pokemon. Her hand gently brushed through the Pokemon's fur. "You know how planes are with electric types."

She walked side-by-side with her partner to customs. There, she would have to release the rest of her party and hand in the customs form she filled out while on the plane. No, she didn't have any expensive jewelry with her. No, she didn't have a large amount of cash on her. No, she was not sick, nor were any of her Pokemon. No, she does not have anything illegal on her. Yes, she is here for work. She then had to list the address for where she would be staying – she had to scramble to actually find the address.

"Miss Mica Ilex?" the customs agent asked and looked up from Mica's passport. Mica, who was busy digging out the rest of her pokeballs nodded with a hum. "You're the new ambassador from Johto."

"That's me," Mica responded, finally looking up at the agent with her dark, golden eyes. She puffed a strand of black hair out of her face. "Would you like me to release the rest of my Pokemon?"

The agent nodded, curious to see what Pokemon the Johto ambassador would have. In a series of red lights, five more Pokemon appeared. A Scizor appeared, its exoskeleton freshly polished to make the steel armor all that more powerful against any form of attack. A Politoed quickly made its way to Mica's back, looking for berries to feast on. A Houndoom's tail flicked furiously while it eyed the customs agent. A Crobat hovered near the Houndoom and slowly descended to the ground next to it. Finally, a Teddiursa ran behind Mica's leg and hid behind her.

All of the Pokemon exemplified major research breakthroughs that Johto has contributed to the world: the discovery of steel and dark Pokemon, the discovery of Pokemon evolving with a King's Rock and through friendship, and, though not an official baby Pokemon, the discovery of Pokemon eggs. The only Pokemon that wasn't completely a display of new research, was the Ampharos standing next to his owner's side. Though one could hardly blame her, Ampharos was her first Pokemon.

"Thank you," the customs agent uttered with slight awe. She quickly examined the Pokemon for any signs of a disease, but nothing came up. "If that's all, just follow the signs to baggage claim. Welcome to Galar"

Mica nodded and returned all of her Pokemon besides Ampharos. The pair made their way down to the rotating carousel of baggage. After nearly fifteen minutes, her plane's baggage had finally appeared and started to cascade down the slide to the rotating platform. Ampharos watched with great interest, knowing that there would be some food in one of their bags.

"There it is," Mica uttered, spotting the bright blue bandana tied to her three bags. She quickly grabbed one after the other before securing them via clips, that way they would all wheel together in a somewhat coordinated effort. She glanced towards her Ampharos and with a slightly lopsided smile asked, "Shall we?"

\--

"Home sweet home," Mica uttered and collapsed into the doorway of her new apartment. "At least for the next few years."

Ampharos grabbed the bags and brought them further into the home while Mica laid on the cool wood floor uttering how she didn't want to go to work tomorrow and just wanted to sleep her jet lag off. The sheep rolled his eyes and unzipped the bags to start putting away all of the items.

The apartment was at least furnished with brand-new furniture, one of the perks of being an ambassador for a decently wealthy nation. It wasn't exactly Mica's taste with it being a bit more on the posh side. But it'd work for keeping a proper appearance as an ambassador – whatever that meant.

Ampharos trudged his way over to Mica and lightly tapped her head with his foot. She looked up with him and puffed an area of frustration. She mumbled to herself and peeled herself off of the cool ground. Ampharos gave her a look that told her to feed him and then go to bed.

Mica waved him off and crawled over to the smaller pieces of luggage she had. Inside were six different containers of different types of food. Mica finally stood up with her knees popping. She staggered her way towards the kitchen and placed the containers of prepped meals o the ground. It was all a form of dried food to survive the trip of intercontinental travel. Tomorrow, she would be getting fresh food via delivery.

Just as Mica was about to turn around to let the rest of her Pokemon out, bright flashes filled the air with Ampharos standing over their balls. All of them, save Teddiursa, rushed to their bowls of food. Politoed, Houndoom, Scizor, and Crobat all had a purely meat-based diet. Though Crobat's was more blood-based than anything. Teddiursa had a mixture of meat and plant-based foods but was more heavily plant-based. Ampharos, of course, was purely plant-based.

"Come on, Tedi," Mica knelt down to the ground near the shy bear's food. She picked up a sun-dried berry and showed it to the creature. "You have to eat." Slowly, the Tediursa made its way towards the trainer and took a small bite out of the berry. "There you go, good job," Mica whispered before patting its soft head. She stood back up and looked at her feasting Pokemon. "There are already beds put out for all of you, so go to bed in them when you want. 'Course, you'll probably just end up sleeping in my bed. I'm going to go take a shower and then head to bed." She waved at them as she made her way to what she assumed was the master bedroom and master bathroom.

\--

"Somehow, with a king bed, I still end up sleeping on the floor," Mica muttered to herself while she rummaged around through her clothing. She glanced behind her to see all of her Pokemon hogging her bed. With a roll of eyes, she grabbed a change of clothes and headed off towards the bathroom.

Glancing in the mirror, she groaned at seeing the state of her hair. It was going in every which direction. Even if she were to comb through it, it would still be a bunch of curls in a way that would be deemed, "unprofessional." She scowled at the thought of her natural hair being unsuited for common standards. Still, she'd have to grit her teeth and get through it. She just hoped her flat-iron would be able to heat up enough with the difference in voltage.

As steam was being released from her hair, Politoed bounded into the bathroom and jumped into the bathtub. His webbed feet grasped onto the handle and quickly turned it so cool water came cascading through the pipes and into the tub. Plugging the drain, Politoad leaned back with a relaxed sigh and closed his eyes.

Mica watched him through the mirror and chuckled lightly at her amphibious friend. It was more humid here than in Johto, but she guessed that old habits die hard. She poked her head out of the bathroom and towards a now awake Ampharos.

"Amph, would you mind getting meals ready for everyone?" she called somewhat quietly as to not wake her still-sleeping Teddiursa and Houndoom. Ampharos nodded and slowly made his away out of the bedroom, but not before walking into the door frame. Mica giggled lightly before finishing styling her hair to begrudgingly conform to society's expectations. "Now, you all better be on your best behavior. We'll be meeting with some head figures with the Galar Pokemon League. They'll be wanting to see all of you." Mica poked her head out to glare playfully at a waking Houndoom. "That goes double for you, Doom."

A puff of fire snorted out of the canid's mouth, coming dangerously close to the garish comforter covering the messy bed. Mica rolled her eyes and unplugged her flat-iron, quickly got dressed, and finished getting ready before scooping up the still sleeping Tediursa and walked towards the kitchen.

Breakfast was already waiting for all of the Pokemon and their trainer. Ampharos was slowly munching away on his food. The rest of the Pokemon soon followed suit.

\--

Billboards blasted advertisements for a variety of companies, almost all of which were owned by Chairman Rose. A heavy lump settled uneasily in Mica's stomach as she gazed at the city of Wyndon. It unnerved her that one man held so much power in Galar. She had heard rumors with the recent opening of borders to outside regions, but she had no idea it would be this bad.

It was one thing to have complete control over a Pokemon League with no Elite Four to help oversee everything, but it was another thing to virtually own every company and building in a region. She noted that she would keep a sharp eye on Chairman Rose and report everything that occurred in the region back to her superiors.

"Amph!" Mica glanced back at her Ampharos to see a crowd of people had started to surround him. He looked around frantically and then sent a pleading look of distress to his trainer.

"Please step away, he sends out electric shocks when he's nervous," Mica called out to the crowd who soon stepped several meters back. It was a lie, but they didn't need to know that. "Ampharos is a Pokemon native to the Johto region among others," she informed the locals who have most likely never seen an Ampharos before. "These Pokemon are often used in lighthouses, as their tails can emit a powerful light. And while typically an electric type Pokemon, when Ampharos mega-evolves, it turns part dragon."

"Mega-evolves?" a young kid, potentially one of the league's challengers questioned. "What's that?"

Mica blinked several times before realizing that with Galar's extreme isolation, it must not have ever encountered mega-evolution. She was positive that's what the rumored giant beasts were, but perhaps not.

"If the Pokemon shares a strong bond with its trainer, and both it and the trainer hold a special stone, they are capable of temporarily changing their shapes and becoming more powerful during the entire duration of a battle."

"Can Ampharos mega-evolve?" the kid asked looking at the sheep Pokemon.

Mica smirked slightly and held a finger up to her lips. "That's a secret that you'll have to find out if you ever challenge me in a battle." Mica motioned her Ampharos to follow her as the pair continued on their way towards the Wyndon Stadium. Her eyes trailed towards a tapdancing Mr. Mime. She shuddered, even the Galarian form was creepy.

After a few minutes of walking, the two made their way into the Rose shaped stadium. It was far different than the gyms she faced in Johto, bigger and more open. There was also more room for spectators. In Johto, there was rarely an audience for a simple gym battle. Even when the occasional trainer faced the Elite Four, it was all private.

"Miss Ilex, ambassador from Johto, correct?" Mica glanced up to see a man with silver sunglasses and what looked to be some sort of exercise outfit. Mica nodded towards the man. "Follow me. I'll be taking you to our VIP section."

"Oh, thank you," Mica voiced and glanced back at her Ampharos. There was something off about the man. It was almost reminiscent of the air the Team Rocket grunts she had encountered gave off. She shook her head assuming she was just getting paranoid.

"If you'll sit here, Chairman Rose and a few others will join you shortly after the introductions," the man stated and left before giving Mica to give her thanks.

It wasn't long before the stands started screaming. Mica winced at the loud sounds. Her hand subconsciously went towards Ampharos's short fur and stroked the creature's back. Her eyes darted towards the field as a man in a grey suit stepped forth. She immediately recognized him from his pictures, Chairman Rose.

"Welcome, one and all! Welcome to the wonderful world of Pokemon. As many of you may know, Galar has recently opened her borders and today we officially welcome ambassadors from other regions." Mica glanced around her area, not seeing any other ambassadors. She chewed on her lip, perhaps they were in other sections around the stadium in the event there was a terrorist attack. "Our beloved Galar region is a wonderful place, thriving nature, beautiful cities, and many Pokemon with which we share our lives!" The jumbotrons lit up with satellite images of the region while he spoke about the region he basically owned in the palm of his hand.

"As you know, our society is able to thrive thanks to help from these mysterious creatures that we call Pokemon." Rose paused mid-speech and threw a pokeball out. A Pokemon similar to Phanpy was released from its capsule. Though, the Pokemon was mainly orange instead of the familiar blue. Its trunk was also much longer than the Johto species Mica was familiar with.

"Yes, Pokemon are all around us – in the sea, in the sky, and even with us in our towns! And those of us who choose to raise and train Pokemon to do battle and compete we call Pokemon Trainers!" The crowd started screaming wildly, knowing that an intense battle was about to kick off the annual gym challenge. Mica gulped as she felt the stadium vibrate with the fierce intensity. "Oh! But I'm getting carried away," Chairman Rose momentarily reined the crowd's enthusiasm. "Please allow me to introduce myself, especially to our ambassadors. My name is Rose, and it is a pleasure to be here. Now turn your gaze to the Galar region's greatest Pokemon Trainer, your undefeated Champion..." The crowd grew into a deafening silence awaiting the announcement. "It's time for Champion Leon's exhibition match!"

Fireworks violently burst from the ground and grew closer and closer to the center of the field. Amongst the smoke, a trainer suddenly appeared. A cape with dozens of sponsors hung heavily from his shoulders. His long, purple hair draped out from under a baseball cap. He looked up from the ground to the cameras to display his face on the jumbotrons. With a series of moves, he raised one arm into the air and held a sort of victory pose. The now furiously screaming crowds cheered for their beloved champion and the Charizard the appeared from behind him.

"Hello Ambassador Ilix," a voice tore Mica's attention away from the field. Her eyes widened and she suddenly stood up to greet the newcomer. Chairman Rose stood in front of her with a kind smile. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine, Chairman Rose," Mica spoke with a smooth voice and quickly shook the man's hand.

Chairman Rose stepped to the side to reveal a very stern looking woman. "This is my secretary, Oleana." Others soon filed into the VIP viewing area. "And these are all of our gym leaders, save Raihan who is currently battling Leon."

"It's nice to meet you all," Mica spoke and eyed all of them, taking mental notes of the individuals in the room. She turned towards her Pokemon who was standing by her side. "This is my partner, Ampharos."

"You keep him outside of his ball?" a woman with knee pads on and other martial arts gear questioned.

"Whenever possible." Mica nodded. "In Johto, it's not uncommon to have at least one of your Pokemon out of their balls. The only time you don't have a Pokemon out with you is when it's not safe."

"Charizard, dynamax!" Mica's attention was ripped from the others as a red glow burst from the field. Her eyes widened as she thought she would get to see a form of mega-evolution. She was wrong. Charizard grew to an immense size and became even more intimidating. This was something more than mega-evolution.

"Freaks me out, if you ask me." Mika turned her head to see a man with black and white hair sitting next to her. He was leaning forward with a slight look of fear at the giant Charizard. She looked back at the giant Pokemon and slowly nodded. "Don't have that in Johto?"

"No," she breathed out. "We just had mega-evolution introduced to our region. But nothing like this."

The strange man sitting next to her moved his gaze from the fearsome beast and to the ambassador. His bright eyes widened ever so slightly and his pale cheeks flushed a light pink. "Shit," he uttered under his breath, quiet enough so she wouldn't hear.


	2. Chapter 2

“So you’re actually a dark type gym leader?” Mica looked at Piers with a look of fascination causing a light dusting of pink to spread across his typically pale face.

“Yes, why is that so fascinatin’?”

“Well, there’s just not another dark type gym leader in the entire world! The closest thing to that is either an Elite Four trainer or a kahuna in Alola. We don’t even have a dark gym leader in Johto, and that’s where we really discovered dark-type Pokemon. It’s just incredible!”

Piers awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, not used to getting such praise. He looked off to the side towards where the other gym leaders were conversing in the VIP room of the stadium. “I’m sure there are lots of other gym leaders that are the only type specialist in the world.”

Mica shook her head quickly. Her hand brushed against the pokeball holding her Houndoom. “Nope, there’s at least two in every other type. Though, there is Green who doesn’t specialize in a single type. He’s in Kanto.”

“Isn’t that near Johto?”

“Yeah, Johto and Kanto have a close allegiance. In fact, our Elite Fours are on in the same. Trainers from both regions are able to take on both gym challenges if they wish.”

“Did you?”

“Of course! You can’t be an ambassador if you haven’t.” Mika finally pulled out her pokeball and held it out. “Want to see a dark-type Johto Pokemon?”

Piers blinked with surprise before he slowly nodded. In a bright flash of light, Houndoom emerged. A puff of fire bellowed from its mouth. Its tail flicked around in an attempt to intimidate anyone standing nearby.

“This is Houndoom. They migrate between the Kanto and Johto regions, though they’re starting to disappear from Johto altogether.” Mica placed a hand between the dog’s horns. “He’s sired some pups to aid with the conservation of them.”

“Looks like you two are getting along well!” Raihan’s voice boomed as he came over and placed a great deal of his body weight on Piers. “Hope you’re liking Galar so far.”

“Of course!” Mica wore a smile that didn’t quite meet her eyes, she was too jet-lagged to start enjoying the region. “I enjoyed your battle, Raihan. I’ve never seen Pokemon Gigantamax before. It’s definitely something else.”

Raihan snorted slightly before a cocky smirk covered his face. “That’s what makes Galar the strongest region.”

Mica raised an eyebrow at his arrogance, though she held her tongue. It wouldn’t do any good to get in a spat with the region’s strongest gym leader. That would cause a strain in an already fragile relationship between Johto and Galar. For a moment, she thought it might have been better to have sent Lance here. But he was too busy making sure Team Rocket didn’t reemerge in the region after an incident in Alola took place.

“How about a battle?” Raihan asked with a wide grin.

Piers pulled away from Raihan with a look of shock. “You should let your Pokemon rest.”

“It’ll give her a chance of winning,” Raihan retorted. “But why don’t you battle her, Piers?”

“I’m not actually allowed to battle any officials here without the permission of the champion,” Mica spoke up, though she was itching to wipe the arrogance off of Raihan’s face. “Well, the champion of Johto and Kanto.”

A burst of flames escaped Houndoom’s mouth knowing he wouldn’t be able to battle for a while. Mica chuckled at her Pokemon’s temper. Her attention quickly shifted towards Chairman Rose as he approached with a small smile. Despite his seemingly innocent approach, Mica felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She felt Houndoom’s body tense under her hand. Yes, she would have to be exceedingly careful with Chairman Rose.

“I hope you found the opening ceremony to your liking, Ambassador Ilex,” Chairman Rose spoke. “Now, I do believe it is time to begin trade negotiations between our two regions.”

“Yes, of course.” Mica grabbed her bag and returned Houndoom to his pokeball. Only Ampharos remained by her side. She turned towards Raihan and Piers. “It was nice speaking with you two. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to reach out.” She took out two copies of her trainer card and handed them to the two gym leaders before following Chairman Rose and his assistant to a meeting room.

Once the trio was in the business room, Mica took a seat and began to pull out her laptop and papers containing train agreements with other regions, the goals Lance had sent her, and what Johto had to offer.

“So, tell me what your major exports are,” Chairman Rose spoke with a clean space in front of him. His assistant had all of the papers and notes at the ready.

“We are the world’s number one producer of dairy products thanks to the numerous Miltank ranches in our region. Not only do we produce the most dairy, but we also have the highest quality due to the strict regulations we have in place for the Pokemon’s welfare. We also have expert breeders in our region that can work on the conservation of numerous Pokemon species. However, until our relations grow stronger, we specifically cannot breed Pokemon for training purposes.”

“That’s understandable,” Rose responded. “I must say, we do have a high demand for dairy products. Miltanks are not present in Galar, so meeting that demand is difficult. If we were to make an agreement, what would you want in return?”

“We are wanting to allow scientists access to the Corsola found here. We are concerned that with the ocean’s pH levels changing, that our native Corsola population will be impacted due to photobleaching. Your Corsola variant could give us answers in preventing this from happening. It could also help your region and the rest of the world when it comes to the conservation of this species.” Mica slid a piece of a paper containing some basic information on Corsola that Johto and Alola have worked on together.

“You also have a large number of evolution stones, and we would like to trade our dairy products for Water, Leaf, Fire, Thunder, Moon, and Sun stones as well as a small amount of cotton from your Wooloo.”

“That sounds like a lot for just some dairy products.”

“Your region would be consuming more dairy products, both in cost and quantity than we would be using stones or cotton. We do have Mareep for cotton,” Mica replied. She still had a trump card up her sleeve if she needed to sweeten the deal.

“That is true, but I still don’t know if we would be able to give up such a large number of products. We do have Milcerys here that can produce some milk.”

“We can throw in apricorns to the trade. Apricorns can be used to help make different types of pokeballs that are more effective under certain conditions. If you throw in metal coat to the trade, we could also trade over information for a battle tower to help test and train Pokemon beyond the gym challenge.”

“Let’s hold off on the battle tower, but with the apricorns you’ll have a deal,” Rose spoke and nodded over to his assistant to make notes. “We won’t want anything in exchange for researching Corsola, just view it as a gesture of goodwill between our region and yours. But we will trade the evolution stones in return for Miltank’s milk and apricorns.”

Mica nodded and pulled up a draft of the agreement with those parameters. She had a trade agreement of every type that her region would have been willing to trade for. She slid the agreement towards Chairman Rose. He raised an eyebrow at her being prepared and took a look over at it. He leaned back in the chair for a while. He scrutinized each word for nearly half an hour before he nodded his head.

“It looks well written and there’s nothing that I would think needs to be revised,” Chairman Rose noted. “Doesn’t impact our borders opening in a month,” he spoke once more. “Very well. I will sign this agreement.” He pulled a pen out of his breast pocket and quickly signed his name before sending it back over towards Mica. Mica took out her own pen and added her name.

“I will go ahead and have Champion Lance sign this,” Mica said referring to the leader of the Johto region.

“Very good,” Chairman Rose said and stood from his seat. “I have other business meetings to attend, so if you’ll excuse me.”

“Of course,” Mica nodded and followed Rose’s assistant out of the building.

“I will schedule another appointment for you and Chairman Rose within the week. You will receive an email with its information either today or tomorrow,” she spoke in a monotone.

“Thank you,” Mica bowed slightly and began her walk back to her apartment. She ignored the odd stares her Ampharos received.

“Still here, Ambassador?” Mica turned towards a voice and a small smile graced her features.

“I could be asking you the same thing. Don’t you have a gym to attend to, Piers? The challenge did just start.” Mica walked towards the man who was leaning on the wall outside of a Battle Café.

“It’s gonna be a while before anyone shows up. I’m the seventh gym, anyways,” he replied looking off to the side so he wouldn’t have to see her smile. “I’m glad you came this way.”

Mica tilted her head to the side. “How come?”

“You said you can’t battle any officials while here, how ‘bout other trainers?”

“I can battle them,” Mica responded. “Why?”

“Come on.” He pushed himself off the wall and leaned forward into a slouch before making his way into the café. “I wanna see how you battle.”

Mica followed him with some confusion and looked around. A Milcery floated on the counter near its trainer. Piers made a Combeeline towards the counter and leaned against it before looking back at Mica. “How about it, Ambassador?”

Mica hesitated. One of the reasons she wasn’t supposed to battle officials was so they wouldn’t know what battle strategies she would use in the event a war broke out. Still, Piers had seen her Ampharos and Houndoom already. She glanced at the Milcery. Houndoom’s fire type would cancel out the dark type’s weakness to fairy. She would be fine there. But with Piers’s gaze, she couldn’t turn him down.

“Alright,” she replied with a grin.

The café owner came out from behind the counter and towards a clear space before releasing an Aromatisse and Slurpuff. Oh, Mica wanted to use her Scizor and Crobat, but she couldn’t reveal too much about her team yet.

“’Doom, Amph, you’re up!” Mica spoke. Ampharos simply stepped forward while Houndoom was released. He released a large breath of fire and his claws dug into the floor tile below him. His eyes honed in on the Slurpuff, noting it was the fastest opponent by how it was dancing around. Mica nodded towards her canid. “Sludge bomb!”

Houndoom’s toxic flames built up in its gut before it shot out of its mouth and explosion of heat. The Slurpuff tried to move but was grazed by the boiling toxic liquid. It cried out in pain and stammered backward before falling onto its back.

Meanwhile, Ampharos has confused the opposing Aromatisse with a confuse ray. The Pokemon twirled around, looking for the Ampharos. Ampharos appeared multiple times in its blurred vision. It tried to attack with a fairy-type move, but it ended up hurting itself.

“Power gem, Amph,” Mica commanded but knew her partner didn’t need to be guided as much in the battle.

Mica glanced over in time to see Slurpuff managed to hit her Houndoom with a draining kiss in an attempt to heal itself from the overpowering sludge bomb. Houndoom snarled and bared its fangs before knocking the fairy-type off with its horns. Fire built up in its mouth and flew out in a powerful flamethrower, hitting the Slurpuff with a critical hit. The fairy-type fell over unconscious and was brought back to the Pokeball.

Ampharos was then making quick work with the staggering Aromatisse. Rocks flew in the air and knocked it out in one hit. The owner signed at having been obliterated by the challenger and took out a Rage Candy Bar to give to Mica. She twitched ever so slightly seeing the candy bar she detested but thanked the café owner nonetheless.

“I’m impressed,” Piers noted and watched the Houndoom with interest. “Didn’t realize you were so strong.”

“You get strong when you challenge sixteen gyms,” Mica chuckled lightly while petting her Ampharos. “Though, to be fair, I doubt I’d be able to defeat Green.”

“What do you mean? Didn’t you battle him?”

“No, not exactly. I defeated the previous gym leader that was there,” Mica shook her head. “Green was a champion for a little bit. And by that, I mean like five minutes before Red defeated him. Red…more-or-less retired, so now Lance is champion.”

Piers nodded and took a seat at a nearby table and motioned for her to sit down. Mica felt some heat raise to her face but told herself it was just the bits of ember lingering around from Houndoom. She slowly sat down across from the punk trainer and glanced at the menu.

“You always wanted to be an ambassador?”

Mica looked up at Piers who was looking everywhere but at her. “No, not really. I wanted to explore the world, challenge every gym and Elite Four, and try to fill my Pokedex, the like.”

“What changed?”

Mica gave a small smile as she rubbed her hand over Ampharos’s head. “Chronic illness. I can’t adventure like I used to. Battling will even knock it out of me every now and then.” She ordered a drink from the owner and looked towards Piers who had finally gathered the courage to look at her. “What about you? Always wanted to be a gym leader?”

“No,” Piers spoke quietly. “I’m hopin’ my sister will take over the gym, but she wants to be champion. Proud of her, really. I like writin’ music and performin’ more.”

Mica’s eyes widened. “Really? That’s amazing!”

Piers’s cheeks turned a bright red. He quickly grabbed the iced drink he ordered and downed it in an attempt to bring down the heat in his cheeks. “It’s nothin’ too special.”

“Of course it’s special!” Mica leaned forward with a sly smirk. “Is that why those girls over there are trying to take a selfie with you in the background?”

Piers’s face heated up more as he glanced at some girls wearing some of his merch. He buried his face in his hands and nodded silently. The dark-type gym leader was so embarrassed that steam almost rose off of his head, almost.

Mica giggled lightly at his reaction before erupting into a yawn. Her eyes grew heavy and she nearly passed out right then and there if it wasn’t for a slight jolt from Ampharos.

Piers glanced at her and noticed her glazed overlook. The bags under her eyes grew heavy. With a frown, he took out enough money to pay for the both of them and stood up. “I’ve taken up too much of your time.”

Mica stumbled out of her chair and shook her head. “No, not at all. Just not used to the time difference is all. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” Piers muttered. “I’ll walk you home.”

Mica tensed as she felt the glare of Piers’s fangirls piercing into her back. She laughed nervously but nodded and led the way towards her apartment. She was internally grateful she had a good sense of direction, otherwise, she’d get lost in the imposing city. The biggest city in Johto was Goldenrod, even then it wasn’t that big.

The two walked in silence. Mica didn’t say anything due to her exhaustion and Piers didn’t because he didn’t know what to say. He’d glance over at her a few times and was ready to catch her if she decided to fall. Though, the sparks that came from Ampharos kept her going.

“Doesn’t that hurt?” Piers asked once her apartment building came into view.

“Doesn’t what hurt?” Mica slurred with a yawn.

“Him electrocuting you?”

“A little, but it also helps my muscles relax and keeps me awake. Got the idea when I added a Manectric to my pokedex. They shock themselves after hunting or battling.” Piers grunted at the information but didn’t say anything more.

Mica took out her ID card to get into the building. “Thanks for walking me,” she murmured. “We should meet up again.” She grinned through her exhaustion. “You should let me listen to some of your music.”

Piers’s face exploded bright red. He turned around quickly and began walking off hoping she didn’t see his blush. She did.


	3. Chapter 3

A fierce glare encompassed Mica’s face. Before her, were three goons yelling and sounding off their instruments. They blocked her path and wouldn’t let her pass, saying that they were going to stop all challengers from getting through.

“For the last time, I’m not a challenger,” Mica growled out but kept a close hold on her temper. “I have a meeting with the gym leaders as an ambassador! Now, let me through.”

“No can do, lady. We Team Yell grunts gotta make sure no one gets through!”

Mica’s entire posture shifted. Team Yell was the so-called organized crime. Though Raihan said they weren’t too much of a threat, that’s what the leaders of Kanto and Johto originally thought of Team Rocket.

“Ampharos,” Mica spoke darkly. “Get these idiots out of my way.”

Ampharos stepped forward, electricity whipped up from the ground and circled it in a frightening storm. The lightning zapped into a nearby metal trash can. It exploded and shot nearly a dozen meters away. The Team Yell grunts jumped and began to scatter. Ampharos glanced back at its master to see if he should pursue the now fleeing people. With a shake of her head, Mica began to walk past her partner and towards the meeting. Ampharos dismissed the electricity and quickly followed.

\--

“Slow down, what happened?” Piers stood a distance from the rest of the leaders with his phone up to his ear. “You’re not makin’ any sense. Storms don’t just show up like that. What do you mean it was a Pokemon you’ve never seen before?” Piers huffed some loose strands of hair out of his face. He glanced over to the door to see Mica and Ampharos walk in. “Never mind, I think I know what happened. Just lay low.”

“Sorry I’m late,” Mica spoke and began to pull out some forms she had created. They each had a trade route that would be going to the different cities that the gym leaders oversaw. Each area would be getting dairy products from the Johto region while only Wyndon would be receiving apricorns. “I ran into some trouble on the way here.”

“Are you alright?” Nessa asked with worry lacing her words.

“Of course, Ampharos took care of them.” Mica shuffled her own papers around and read over them carefully. “Champion Lance will be present for the Champion Cup to celebrate this region’s trainers becoming stronger. He will be sitting with Chairman Rose and hopes to meet you all. Depending on time, he may even wish to battle you, Raihan.”

“Me?” Raihan raised an eyebrow and an arrogant smirk crossed his face. “Is he afraid that he’s not the strongest dragon trainer?”

“No, he’s not worried,” Mica dismissed him quickly. “He simply wishes to see dragon Pokemon native to Galar.”

Piers snorted, but quickly raised his trade papers up to his face to hide from Raihan’s glare. Raihan shifted his attention from the dark trainer towards Mica. “What if I say I’ll only battle him if I get to battle you?”

“Then, that would be his decision. Though, that could damage foreign relations.” Mica frowned. “Please don’t do that. Besides, if you want to stand a chance against Lance, you will want to make sure your Pokemon are well-rested.”

“Whatever,” Raihan grumbled. “But are we ever going to see your entire party?”

“If Team Yell continues to be a problem, maybe,” Mica spoke while reading over the rest of the agenda. “Which brings me to my next point.” Piers swallowed some of his fear down and glanced over at Mica nervously. “If Team Yell escalates in any way, I’m afraid that other crime syndicates around the world may try to take advantage of them and threaten the safety of Galar. I will push for complete eradication of the team if I have to.”

“What do you mean by eradication?” Piers shouted out.

“We suspend their trainer’s license, go through a trial, and throw them in jail,” Mica responded calmly. “This is not a matter that should be taken lightly. It is very possible for someone like Team Yell to sneasel their way into the gym challenge, control all operations of a region, and cause destruction to both civilization and the natural world.”

“Just because it happened in other parts of the world, doesn’t mean it’ll happen in Galar,” Opal spoke up. Her hands were resting on her cane.

“Statistically speaking, it can,” Mica replied. She pulled out other forms with information on other regions. “Every other region has had issues with organized crime. Hoenn had Team Magma and Team Aqua which nearly destroyed the entire in their attempt to change the habitat. Sinnoh had Team Galactic. Unova with Team Plasma. Kalos had Team Flare which nearly killed every single person in that region with destruction containing the same devastation as several nuclear bombs. Alola had Team Skull and the Aether Foundation. The Aether Foundation was then taken advantage of by Team Rocket, Kanto’s and Johto’s organized crime unit.” Mica took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose. “What I’m trying to say is, we are concerned that Geovanni may be trying to gather more people this time, and that includes anyone in Team Yell. And it’s not just Galar that would be threatened, the entire world could be in danger.”

“So what would you propose we do, then?” Milo piped up.

“Keep an eye out for anything suspicious,” Mica responded. “Make sure Team Yell does not get into trouble. I don’t care if they’re just going to be some fan club for a challenger, but if they start interfering in daily operations, that’s going to be a problem.” Mica’s hand went to pat Ampharos on the head. “And, if Team Rocket is targeting Galar, they may not even be trying to work with Team Yell. They could be targeting anyone. That includes you.”

“Us?” Nessa looked up with shock. “Why us?”

“You are some of the most powerful trainers in the region,” Mica replied. “Giovanni always targets powerful trainers. Not only that, but he targets those with deep ties to what happens in Galar. I’ve handed out information on people you should look out for: Giovanni, Proton, Petrel, Ariana, Archer, Jessie, and James. Silver is a young trainer that we have been keeping an eye on, but he’s aided in defeating them in the past. Still, if he shows up, he is a person of interest.”

“Do you think they’ll actually show up?” Milo questioned.

“No,” Mika shook her head. “But you can never be too careful with them.”

“Doesn’t that mean you could be targeted?” Kabu questioned. His arms were crossed as he watched Mica with suspicion.

“Kabu!” Milo gasped in shock. “She’s an ambassador!”

“An ambassador that knows a lot about Team Rocket,” Kabu responded.

“He’s right to be suspicious,” Mica said. “And you should be. Frankly, I’d be worried if you weren’t. Still, I could never work for an organization that abuses Pokemon. My Pokemon are too precious to me. I would never dream of hurting them or any of their kind.”

“Those could all just be words, though,” Kabu huffed.

“I believe her,” Piers spoke up.

“You barely know her,” Kabu said. Though his words were harsh, his entire demeanor was calm.

“I still believe her,” Piers spoke and leaned forward with a glare sent towards Kabu. “It’s important we work along with her, Kabu.”

Mica hesitated. She has never seen Piers seem so in charge. She always thought he was shyer and more hesitant. ‘Did I misread him?’ she thought to herself. She shook her head and moved her papers on to the next subject she hoped to bring up.

“Trust comes with time,” Mica said quietly. “I hope that over time, you will learn to trust me, Kabu.” She took a deep breath before continuing on with the meeting.

\--

“Piers! Wait!” Mica hollered and ran over towards where the dark-type trainer has paused in his walk. “Just a—” Mica took a gasp of breath as the short run had already fatigued her. “Sorry,” she said as she leaned against the wall.

“You okay?” Piers took a hesitant step forward. He wasn’t sure if he should put a hand on her to try to keep her steady or if it was best to give her distance.

“Yeah,” Mica coughed out before regaining her composure. “I wanted to thank you.”

“Thank me for what?” Piers looked off to the side with an embarrassed blush.

“Saying you trust me,” Mica said softly. “I really appreciate it.”

“It’s nothin’,” Piers said and turned around to keep on walking. The redness in his cheeks was starting to spread to his ears.

“Wait!” Mica whined. “I want to show you another one of my Pokemon to express that I trust you, too.”

Piers froze and looked down. In his heart, he felt he wasn’t worthy of that trust. He had been hiding the fact that he was the leader of Team Yell all along. The same exact Team that Mica was so worked up about spreading chaos throughout Galar.

“Don’t show me the Pokemon,” Piers said with a harshness he wished he could take back.

Mica’s hand froze over the pokeball holding another one of her partners. Her eyes widened. “What?” she questioned quietly, not quite sure she heard him right.

Piers turned around with a cold glare. The redness that covered his cheeks was long gone. “Don’t show me the Pokemon. You shouldn’t trust me, Ambassador.”

“What are you talking about?” Mica’s hand moved away from the pokeball. Her mind was racing at what could possibly cause his sudden outburst. Then, her heart stuttered to a stop. Could it be she was too late in her warning? “Did…Did Giovanni contact you?” she asked with a lump building in her throat.

“What?” Piers’s eyebrows furrowed down. “No, that’s not it.”

“Then what?” Mica cried out. “Why can’t I trust you?”

“Because I’m the one that’s in charge of Team Yell!” Piers yelled. “I sent them out in Galar to keep an eye on my lil’ sis! She’s already gone through so much, I don’t want her to get hurt!”

Mica watched as tears built up in the man’s eyes. He looked off to the side with shame crawling up his back. Mica’s hand shakily reached out and wiped a tear off of his face. His eyes widened and he looked at the ambassador with shock.

“Is that all they’re doing?” Mica questioned in a whisper.

“Yeah, they get a little out of hand, but that’s it,” Piers responded in just as soft of a tone.

Mica sighed and shook her head. “Arceus, if you just said that at the beginning that would have saved me so much stress.”

“Sorry,” Piers grumbled and looked off to the side.

Mica dismissed him with a wave of a hand. “It’s alright.” The hand then reached towards her pokeball. “Now! I want you to meet Crobat!”

“You still want to show me your Pokemon?” Piers asked with confusion. A bright light burst out of the pokeball before a large bat flew right in front of Piers’s face. He jumped lightly before calming down.

“’Course!” Mica grinned as her Crobat started to nuzzle Piers’s face. The trainer’s heart beat with joy at the positive reaction her Pokemon had towards Piers. It was less about showing she trusted him, but more to test if it was safe to trust him. Crobat could always somehow sense if someone was a good person. Given her reaction, Piers was a very good person.

Piers let out a chuckle as Crobat really started to rub her face against him and her wings tickled his neck. Mica felt heat rush towards her face and her heart skip a beat.

“Shit,” she whispered too quietly for him to hear.


End file.
